deer knight

they/them | 20s | knight of the forest | formerly "and-speak"

[deer-knight]

deer knight

i know i've been "and-speak" for years now, and that literally all of my hundreds of photos are marked with it, but i've been wanting my blog name to better suit its contents for a while now. "and-speak" hearkens back to an old poetry blog i used to run, but i don't even write poems anymore.

so, the next chapter of this blog is deer-knight. i'm still sorting through what i want things to look like in the coming year, but the first change is here, in the form of a name. you can still call me &, if you want. i'll post again when i've determined some new guidelines for myself, but for now, i'm welcoming the new title and thinking about names. drink some water <3 &

[deer-knight]

the kids at work have made a new song, to the (general) tune of "the wellerman"

all hail the cybertruck

it's ugly and it really sucks!

some people think its sleek

but let's be real

it's the dumbest thing on wheels!

and if you're asking who to blame

his name is elon musk!

[deer-knight]

what will happen to all your cohost stuff?

to be honest, i didnt post much of anything there, so i imagine it will sink with the cohost ship.

[deer-knight]

"when you die, I'm gonna take your bones out of your body and throw them at the people who didn't like you." - my 7yr old student

the alternative, they said, was that they would give my body to a deer so I could be "recarbonated" into a deer.

[deer-knight]

what if i returned to tumblr

[deer-knight]

since cohost is probably going bankrupt, would you consider pillowfort? it's similar

i've just browsed some articles about them and read their FAQ page. i guess i could try it. the ai ban they have sounds great. i'll consider it. thank you for the suggestion - im so tired recently. i don't know if i even want to be doing any social media anymore.

[deer-knight]

cohost

yep, officially using cohost now:

deer knight on cohost

knight of the forest

[deer-knight]

Helloo, hope you're doing well:)

Not actually sure where I picked up on it, but you write, don't you? Would you mind sharing some recent works or fragments that you enjoy?

Or if you're not comfortable with that (which I absolutely understand), what are some works by other writers that resonate with you?

oh interesting! i used to write poetry and short stories, yes, but i haven't done anything of substance in years.

and...even the handful of recent snippets i've done i feel a bit insecure about, and lately i feel very protective of things i create, given the current climate of sharing art online.

i have been enjoying the locked tomb series, the ember bones series, and honestly - there were some brilliant writers on deviantart back in the day that i still think about.

[deer-knight]

hesitating

gonna be real, i've started to feel nervous about putting my art on the internet, full stop.

i love making art, and i love sharing it with this lil corner of tumblr, but with every ai generated image built of stolen art that i see, i just get sadder and sadder.

which bums me out, right, cause i've actually made some art that i love recently! and i think about posting it and i just take a deep sigh and think what's the point - is it worth it?

i feel so disillusioned with sharing art online at the moment. and i can put my watermark in the corner and sign it and that doesn't stop theft - it's not really meant to do that. it's so people who see it can return to the source if it's reposted anywhere. (speaking of which, please do not repost my art anywhere without my permission)

so ehhh. its complicated feelings. hence why i've been quiet on the art and photography front.

drink some water <3

-&

[deer-knight]

well, i guess this is why you trust your gut, huh.

i've just made a cohost page (under the same name) and we'll see if i like it. unfortunately despite having a lot of projects i'm working on i'm struggling to feel like sharing them online is the right move.

i'm tempted to leave the internet/social media scene entirely, quite honestly. i don't have a smartphone, i work outdoors full time, and i'm already the most "offline" person of most friend groups. i don't think it would be difficult for me.

and yet, nearly 9,000 people follow me here, which still baffles me. i've done my best over time to weed out bots and such, but im sure some have slipped by. still, that's a lot of people. and, that's not to say i'd only consider staying because others want me to, but. it's something i think about.

i'm so grateful for the enthusiasm and kindness and words of support that folks have poured out into the comments and reblogs and asks on this blog. it matters <3 thank you, from deep in my heart.

so, what will happen to this blog? i don't know. i don't know if i feel good about leaving all this stuff here to be scraped by ai or mined for data or whatever else would get to it. at the same time, what a special archive of my creativity over the past several years. i suppose i could archive it in some way. not quite the same, though.

my askbox is open, as always, for anything anyone wants to send while i'm still around, which i will be for a while still, till this is all sorted.

i know about the anti-ai programs i could spend time putting my work through to make it harder for ai to use them, but. it feels quite depressing, i think. i think i'd rather keep my work offline, if this is something that will persist and evolve and create barriers for a casual artist like myself to feel comfy posting on this site and others. i'd rather save my depression and anxiety and any leftover emotional energy for things that matter more to me than posting art online.

thank you all for being here. i will stick around to see how this plays out, but i don't feel very hopeful. haven't felt very hopeful in general, recently. i'm alright. i think i'm just tired of... everything.

be well <3 &

[deer-knight]

would you be displeased if I said that apple juice ask had big dave strider energy?

gonna be real don't know who dave is

[deer-knight]

hello there i hope you are having a good day

i was wondering if when you wear historical reenactment or fantasy clothing do you do it as yourself and it is some different clothes or you adopt a character to be and its like acting?

And if it is the second, do you have several characters or just one? i am just curious because i have different vibes and characters for the vibes with my historical and fantasy outfits and wondered if anyone else is the same

sometimes, but it is subtle!

my historical garb i wear just as myself, transported to another time and place.

the garb i wear to renaissance faires (when i'm not doing rapier demos) have subtle characterizations to them. when i dress as the pirate i like to act a bit goofier and casual and make jokes with kids and such. when i dress in my elven style i try to embody being a bit more graceful, a bit more fluid and of the earth, that sort of thing.

obviously posing for photos for my various looks/characters i try to pose as i think portrays their character well.

im not much for acting, but it's a fun experiment!

[deer-knight]

what’s your favorite snack!

i'm not a huge fan of food, but my favorite thing to consume is fancy apple juice :3

[deer-knight]

go on then!

[image description: gothic calligraphy that reads “Ask Me Anything”]

[deer-knight]

Would you mind if I used your selfies as an example of what I want my top surgery results to look like to show my surgeon?

go for it! best of luck dear anon!

[bitecore]

so glad i'm no longer at a place in my life where i have to pretend that women in cheap sets of costume armor are the hottest thing ever

[bitecore]

actual historically based garb+armor you've made/found for yourself that fits well = hot

poorly made shite you bought on amazon because it was a trend on lesbian tiktok = bad news bears

[deer-knight]

they/them

through the coldest days and the longest nights, we keep on fighting.

[image description: four photos of op standing outside in a snowy forest. op is a slim 20s white person with very long wavy brown hair worn loose, with two braids tied back from either side. they wear layers of grey and brown wool with a shirt of mail, spaulders, and a wide leather belt with tassets. they wear a white fur mantle and a black leather gorget, mostly covered by a dark brown scarf. in the first photo they are in the middle of unsheathing an arming sword from their hip, which they hold in the three subsequent photos. end image description.]

[deer-knight]

they/them

it’s dangerous to wander the winter woods alone…where are you headed, traveler?

[image description: three photos of op from the hips up, outside in a snowy forest. op is a slim 10s white person with very long wavy brown hair worn loose, with two braids tied back from either side. they wear layers of grey and brown wool with a shirt of mail, spaulders, and a wide leather belt with tassets, with an arming sword worn at their hip. they wear a white fur mantle and a black leather gorget, mostly covered by a dark brown scarf. in the first two photos, the scarf is pulled up over their nose. in the third, they’ve pulled it down to show their face. end image description.]